Today he welcomes visitors in the museum entrance hall, but his own arrival wasn’t that straightforward. In 1872, Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester bought Maharajah from a travelling menagerie in Scotland for £680 (about £76,000 in 2023). He was supposed to journey to Manchester by train, but became distressed at Edinburgh Waverley station. When he tore the roof off his carriage, his keeper decided to walk him to Manchester instead. Maharajah’s act of defiance and extraordinary journey struck a chord. He was taken to heart in his new home, living out his days as a Belle Vue favourite.